The following background discussion is not an admission that anything discussed below is citable as prior art or common general knowledge. The documents listed below are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference to them.
Capsules adapted for use in machines to prepare a desired consumable product are becoming increasingly popular. Such capsules come in a variety of formats most typically for producing beverages such as espresso coffee, drip coffee, tea, hot chocolate or soup.
Capsule machines typically include a brew chamber that is adapted to receive a single size of capsule. This is problematic as more sizes of capsules enter the market place. A consumer for example may wish to use a smaller size capsule to prepare a single serving of a desired product (for example a cup of coffee) or a larger size capsule to prepare multiple servings of a desired product (such as a carafe of coffee). Larger size capsules are also suited to prepare products that contain insoluble ingredients such as noodles.
Capsule machines also typically include an injection system comprising a single nozzle that is adapted to pierce the lid of a capsule along a central axis to inject a fluid, such as heated water, into the capsule. A problem with such systems is that the single nozzle may not adequately disperse fluid over the ingredients disposed in the capsule. This problem is made worse when capsules of greater diameter are utilized.
There is a need for a capsule machine having a brew chamber that is adapted to receive different sizes of capsules.
There is also a need for a capsule machine having an injection system that is adapted to disperse fluid into the capsule over a wider area than conventional injection systems.